Dr. Anthony Fauci came under withering criticism Monday during a contentious U.S. House hearing. And the sharpest attacks against the government’s former top infectious disease official were leveled by a pair of Georgia Republicans.
U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, an emergency room physician, accused Fauci of shielding medical data about the coronavirus pandemic from the public and haphazardly concocting social distancing guidelines and other restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19.
“Americans were aggressively bullied, shamed and silenced for debating issues such as social distancing, masks, vaccines or the origins of COVID,” he said. “Americans do not hate science, but Americans know hypocrisy when they see it.”
McCormick, R-Suwanee, was widely criticized during the pandemic for spreading misinformation about the virus and its spread. He told the AJC at the time, “Just like Fauci — and I want you to quote that — just like Fauci, I have not always been 100% accurate on everything.”
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, made her own waves hours into the hearing when she repeatedly addressed Fauci — a physician who was chief medical adviser to the president from 2021 to 2022 — as “mister.”
“You’re not Doctor, you’re Mr. Fauci in my few minutes,” Greene said.
When her colleagues on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic objected, Greene said Fauci “doesn’t deserve to have a license and in fact he deserves to be in prison.”
For all the talk, the two Republicans and their colleagues didn’t exactly reveal anything of note about Fauci’s work. And Fauci brushed off the conspiracy theories that he worked to conceal the nature of the virus as “absolutely false and simply preposterous.”
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Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
OCTOBER APPEAL. A Georgia appellate court will review the legal challenge against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in the 2020 election interference case involving former President Donald Trump and his allies.
The Georgia Court of Appeals officially accepted the case Monday and has set an Oct. 4 hearing date. The three judges who will consider whether Willis should be disqualified from trying the case were randomly selected by computer.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled in February that a romantic relationship between Willis and her lead prosecutor in the case, Nathan Wade, does not disqualify her. The Appeals Court will review that decision and determine whether McAfee arrived at the correct legal conclusions.
The AJC’s Bill Rankin and Tamar Hallerman provide an in-depth look at the appeal, the judges and the timeline in a story published Monday.
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Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
GEORGIA 2024. A parade of Republicans issued statements of support for former President Donald Trump — and broadsides against the criminal justice system — after he was convicted last week of felony hush money scheme.
But even more were silent. Among them was Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, an expected candidate for governor in 2026. He’s also one of the state’s top law enforcement officials.
We checked in with Carr’s camp on Monday to see if he had any remarks on the unprecedented conviction. He declined to comment.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
CARTER REPLAY? Jason Carter has repeatedly said he’s open to a second bid for governor in 2026. On Sunday, he once again noted he’s “not ruling it out,” this time in an interview with Atlanta’s NBC affiliate.
Carter is a former state senator and the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter who lost to Republican Gov. Nathan Deal in 2014. He reminded viewers during the 11 Alive interview that his grandfather lost a gubernatorial bid in 1966 before winning four years later.
Carter added that Georgia needs “the kind of candidates that are going to connect with people and do the work that needs to get done.”
Several other Georgia Democrats are kicking the tires on a run. DeKalb County chief executive Michael Thurmond has repeatedly floated the possibility of a bid. Stacey Abrams hasn’t ruled out a third campaign.
And U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, said she’s considering joining the fray in an interview last week on the “Politically Georgia” radio show and podcast.
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CHEROKEE BACKLASH. Some Republicans are quietly working to tip the scales in county election boards around the state. The latest flashpoint is Cherokee County, where commissioners will vote Tuesday on two key elections board appointments.
Our AJC colleague Taylor Croft reports that Republicans are urging local officials to give the party a clear majority on the Cherokee County Board of Elections, which is traditionally bipartisan.
From her story:
Four members of the Cherokee elections board are appointed by the Board of Commissioners. Historically, two appointments have come from each party. But some Republicans now want a 3-1 advantage among appointed board members.
A coalition of left-leaning groups wrote the all-Republican commission members an open letter this week urging them to maintain the board’s bipartisanship and “resist pressures from partisan interests to alter its makeup.”
It added: “With the 2024 presidential election on the horizon, it is imperative to reaffirm the commitment to bipartisanship, fairness, and transparency and to prevent undue bias in the electoral process.”
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Credit: John Spink/AJC
Credit: John Spink/AJC
LISTEN UP. On today’s “Politically Georgia” episode, we talk to AJC City Hall reporter Riley Bunch about Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ response to the city’s massive water main breaks. Later, GOP political consultant Brian Robinson joins to discuss Republican voters’ reaction to the recent guilty verdict in New York against former President Donald Trump.
Listen live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 or follow “Politically Georgia” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
If you missed Monday’s show, the AJC’s Mirtha Donastorg discussed the water main breaks that roiled Atlanta over the weekend, while Oglethorpe University Professor Kendra King Momon, Emory University Professor Emeritus Alan Abramowitz, and Democratic ad maker Rick Dent discussed the leadership challenge in front of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.
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Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
BRIDGE BLOCKADE. An opposition group has formed to protest the Georgia Department of Transportation’s plan to replace Savannah’s Talmadge Bridge, the iconic cable-stayed span on the edge of downtown, with either a higher bridge or a tunnel.
Savannah-area residents recently received mailers from the group headlined “A Bridge Too Far for Savannah.” The literature encourages recipients to submit feedback to the GDOT before the end of a public comment period on June 5. The card includes a QR code that links directly to the GDOT public comment portal as well as a web address to learn more about the bridge plans, abridgetoofarsav.org.
The identities of those behind the group are unknown. Their resistance to the GDOT plan centers on the proposed location of the new river crossing and the amount of public engagement.
A GDOT study made public late last year recommended the bridge or tunnel be built next to or under the current bridge. As for public engagement, the public comment period that closes Wednesday is the first part of a process that is expected to continue through October 2025. GDOT officials have targeted that date for state approval of the new river crossing before seeking financing.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
CLYDE CONFEDERACY. For the second time in 12 days, U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, failed to advance a plan in Congress to bring back a Confederate monument at Arlington National Cemetery. The memorial — placed there in 1914 — was removed last year by the Pentagon after a review of Confederate symbols, names, and memorials by the military.
Clyde tried Monday night to get the powerful House Rules Committee to allow a vote on the House floor to restore the memorial at the nation’s most revered military cemetery. But Clyde’s amendment to a military construction spending bill did not make the cut.
The Georgia Republican will try again next week, still hoping to get a vote when the House considers a major defense policy bill. He was the only lawmaker to bring up the Confederacy in over 1,300 amendments submitted to those two bills.
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Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times
Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden hosts the annual congressional picnic at the White House. Later, he travels to Paris ahead of D-Day commemoration ceremonies.
- The House meets for legislative business.
- The Senate considers judicial nominations.
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Credit: Stephen B. Morton for the AJC
Credit: Stephen B. Morton for the AJC
TEMPERING TOURS. Tourism is a golden goose in Savannah, contributing billions of dollars to the local economy annually and employing over 28,000 residents. But to some downtown historic district residents the gilded eggs are too large and too many. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson and several allies on the City Council are taking action.
Tour operators are the latest targets. The city recently imposed new noise restrictions against the ubiquitous trolleys, is reviewing an ordinance governing horse-drawn carriage tours and is considering new rules for walking tours. Your Savannah-based Insider Adam Van Brimmer explains how and why the politicians are tempering tours — and how some businesses are adapting — in a story published at AJC.com.
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AS ALWAYS, Politically Georgia readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com.
